Dear Friends,
Hockey, Alpine skiing, curling, bobsleigh…
My love for the Olympic Winter Games began with Nancy Greene. Nancy Greene Raine won the gold medal in the giant slalom in 1968 in Grenoble, France. I was enthralled by her performance, grit and determination. And every four years since then, I have been a huge fan of the Winter Olympics. I have lost hours of sleep watching races in the middle of the night, gnawed at my fingernails in overtime, covered my eyes as skiers lost control and wept while humming O Canada.
Every quadrennium I sit and watch sports that I rarely, if ever, watch normally: skeleton, luge, biathlon, ski jumping. I am inspired by the dedication of the athletes, the grueling workouts, the hours of training, their mental fitness and the sacrifices they make to imagine a podium finish. Behind each competitor are families, friends and communities that have shaped them and encouraged them, driven them to early morning practices, waited for them in a cold arena and coaxed them to try again when things went poorly. And behind each gold, silver and bronze medal winner is a throng of athletes who will never stand on the podium or make it through the round-robin and qualifying rounds. Yet their presence in the Games is worth more than metal. They are vessels of hope for the nations. They are ambassadors of play. If we can play together, strive together, excel together, we can also apply the same discipline and dedication in loving one another.
The author of the Letter to the Hebrews uses sports language to punctuate our deep call in pursuing love. Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12.1-2
We see this perseverance in volunteers who come every day to serve soup to the poor and offer clothing and a warm place to rest. We see love in congregations welcoming refugees and sponsoring families. We see the joy in pew-dwellers clearing the snow for a neighbour and running errands for a shut-in. We witness the hope in protesters so willing to endure the cold and put their bodies on the line in Minneapolis. And the list goes on. Every day we are summoned to run the race that is set before us. We are summoned to exercise the gifts we have been given from God. We are called to practice our faith so that others may know the way to the podium of Grace, too.
Let the Games begin.
Yours in Christ,
The Right Reverend Andrew Asbil
Bishop of Toronto
